Fair brings together job seekers and head hunters

About 1200 students and more than 50 of New Zealand’s leading employers attended the NZMA Careers Fair held at the institution’s Sylvia Park Campus on October 22, 2015.

Their objective was to secure employment.

The Fair, fourth in an annual series was the best, with more than 35 students landing jobs on the spot, hundreds more submitting applications, and lining up work experience opportunities.

Major employers

Top employers from all over the country participated in the event, including Sky City, Millennium and Heritage Hotels, The Warehouse Group, McDonald’s, Defence Careers, St Pierre’s, the Hip Group, Wendy’s and Vital Hospitality.

Other participants were the Swiss Hotel Management Institute and Waldorf Apartments.

Almost 60% of them had participated in the 2014 event.

Job opportunities

Waldorf Apartments Sales and Central Reservations Manager Toni Booth said that she was impressed with the outcome.

“This year we came along for the first time and I have been impressed both with this amazing venue and the students. It was amazing to see how many people want to work, and learn,” she said.

“We are always looking for housekeeping and front desk staff. We received about 30 CVs at the event and amongst them are some real gems. These are the sorts of people we need in hospitality. We need people with dreams and goals that want to better themselves and are passionate about customer service. We will definitely be hiring some of these students, and we will also be working with NZMA Careers to look at six week blocks and internship opportunities,” she said.

Like many other employers, Toni and her team also attended the Waikato Careers Fair held a week earlier.

Though only in its second year, the Hamilton event was also a resounding success. For many of the participating employers, it was the perfect way to take the stress out of recruitment, offering a good alternative to traditional ways of hiring.

Excellent students

Takeshi Takada, Retail Operations Manager for St Pierre’s International is a huge fan.

“NZMA produces great students; in fact, we currently have two interning with us and have another two graduates working full-time. We used to work with a selection of hospitality schools to help find staff. NZMA has excellent students and Careers Team and find the Careers Fairs extremely worthwhile,” he said.

As well as providing students and graduates potential job opportunities, the Fair is also seen as a good way to improve their interview skills and build confidence.

It also gives them an insight into who they might like to work for in the future.

For employers, it is the perfect way to showcase their business and snaffle talented new staff. With hundreds of trained job seekers onsite, it is easy to find skilled and motivated students who are the right fit for their organisation.

New initiatives

HR Consultant for McDonalds Laure Piguet said that several new initiatives meant that the company is looking for some new skill sets from potential staff.

“We have new offerings such as our Create Your Taste Burger, and hence need people with culinary knowledge. We also now have hosts and as such need people with customer service skills. We believe that NZMA students could be an asset for our company, as they are learning the specific skills that we seek,” she said.

NZMA Careers Advisor Leilani Hoyt said that the Fairs are unlike any other event.

“No other provider has anything like this. This is a great way for employers to see potential from all over Auckland and among domestic and international students.”

NZMA is a part of the ACG Tertiary & Careers Group, Sponsor of the ‘Business Excellence in International Trade with India’ category of the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards 2015.

Photo:

NZMA students with potential employers at the NZMA Careers Fair on October 22.